Does anyone have advice for playing a GMPC, as far as what role/class to play, and perhaps how to play it?
I'm about to start co-GMing Kingmaker, so I'll be GM for half the sessions. I want the character to be fun to play, but also easy/quick to handle when I'm GMing.
My current line of thinking:
1) No prepared spellcasters - I don't want to have to waste time picking out spells every day
2) No party face - having GM knowledge about the NPCs, I don't know if I trust myself to avoid metagaming during social interactions
3) No complex tactics - I want a character whose combat turns will go quickly and require little planning
Any additions/modifications? Has anyone who has played a GMPC have any suggestions about what does/doesn't work?
GMPC should always fill a gap in the party makeup. If you have two people playing, one a melee ranger and the other a melee paladin... well, something ranged might be useful, somewhat with some arcane magic... Inspire Courage is a great way to contribute but not steal the spotlight...
I would say roll an archer bard: ranged, arcane casting, boosts melee greatly.
You should never play tier 1 or 2 classes: Wizard, Sorcerer, Cleric, Druid, Oracle, Summoner... they generally steal the spotlight. Let the players have that, play something that supplements, but doesn't overshadow. Also running a full caster get be a lot when you are running the rest of the world.
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
Don't.
Don't.
Then what should I do during the sessions I'm not GMing?
About the only time I've had success running a GMPC is when I've had a player drop out of the game, but left me with no good in-character or in-game reason for the now-former-PC to leave the party. In that case, I generally run the character as a GMPC for a little while, until we either get a replacement player, or until I can adjust the game a bit to allow a smaller party size.
Of course, if the PC is a full caster, I won't keep him in the party for long. It gets far too unwieldy to run a full-caster as a GMPC, especially in high-level play.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Make your own character, fully fleshed out. When you GM, that character is tagging along with the party, but not acting. When you aren't, you play them. GMPC is an ugly, ugly concept and doesn't work. If they need more firepower, let them hire NPCs.
Don't.
In general this is my advice, but this a a rotating DM case. However, OP do note your PC can be a stay at home NPC during the times you DM and then go along when you are playing.
A good idea in these sort of campaigns is to have ALL the PC's level at certain points. Don't use XP.
Don't.Then what should I do during the sessions I'm not GMing?
Oh-- you're switching off GMs, and you're running your own PC as an NPC when it's your turn behind the screen!
That's not what is usually meant by "GMPC."
My group usually switches off the GM duties campaign-by-campaign: a given GM will run the campaign entirely by him/herself.
I have run in the situation you describe in the past, and it requires a whole lot of trust on the part of your players. It's really tempting to drop treasure during your run as a GM that's perfectly tailored to your PC.
Ususlly, the term "GMPC" refers to a regularly-occurring NPC that's essentially a party member. It's usually done when you only have, say, three players, and are trying to run an adventure that really needs four characters. Some GMs will just add an NPC to the party to make up for the "one man down." That's what's usually meant by "GMPC." They can be very problematic, and a better solution is to re-tool the adventure to suit the number of PCs that you do have (and their abilities.)
Good luck!
|
Any additions/modifications? Has anyone who has played a GMPC have any suggestions about what does/doesn't work?
Roll a healing focused oracle. Spontaneous casting, so you only have a few choices to deal with each round, don't invest in face skills or knowledges. If you have access to the 3.5 Miniatures Handbook look at the Healer for inspiration. I ran such an NPC in my Shackled City game, allowing her to spontaneously cast from her spell list, and the only time she ever came close to overshadowing the party was against undead with her positive energy spells.
|
Keep in mind that this is not a typical GMPC situation, wherein the character in question is there simply to bolster the party and perhaps aid the narrative. This is a rotating GM campaign, which means you need to walk the fine line of something that will not be too complex while GMing, but also will be fun to play when someone else is behind the screen. Creating a character meant to be second banana in all situations would likely grow frustrating when you are playing. I therefore suggest you first think hard about what you want to play, then use that as a jumping off point to design a character that is both simple and fun. A standard melee fighter or barbarian type might work well, as might the shifty rogue. Ultimately it is a balancing act to create something that will be fun and rewarding for you throughout the entire game. I wish you luck.
I have ran with a lot of DMPCs and here are my notes on this. That if you are looking to use a DMPC to have some thing to do in your game you don't need a DMPC. A DMPC should be used in one of a few ways
1. you don't have enough players to fill necessary rolls in combat. in which case your DMPC needs to reflect that wile being as low key as possible this dose not work if your group needs a meat shield or a battle field control
2.story needs it in which case the DMPC needs to be gone during fights for one reason or another have the group scooby-do. DMPC leaves and dose or dose not finish a task that would help the party
other wise your going to butcher your own game
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Don't.In general this is my advice, but this a a rotating DM case. However, OP do note your PC can be a stay at home NPC during the times you DM and then go along when you are playing.
A good idea in these sort of campaigns is to have ALL the PC's level at certain points. Don't use XP.
Definitely take this advice, both pieces of it.
My advice would be to GM it solo and don't use a GMPC. I don't really understand how Co-GM'ing could possibly work.
Does anyone have advice for playing a GMPC, as far as what role/class to play, and perhaps how to play it?
I'm about to start co-GMing Kingmaker, so I'll be GM for half the sessions. I want the character to be fun to play, but also easy/quick to handle when I'm GMing.
My current line of thinking:
1) No prepared spellcasters - I don't want to have to waste time picking out spells every day
2) No party face - having GM knowledge about the NPCs, I don't know if I trust myself to avoid metagaming during social interactions
3) No complex tactics - I want a character whose combat turns will go quickly and require little planning
Any additions/modifications? Has anyone who has played a GMPC have any suggestions about what does/doesn't work?
Those are all good tips. I seem to be one of the rare few who managed to play a GMPC well, and I did it in Kingmaker with a Monk. Generally, those three guidelines you have are a good start. Let the players have more of the focus, but feel free to let your character contribute when needed, though don't take over the social interactions. In short, it's a delicate balancing act, though try to make your GMPC seem like a PC, just with a small distance to the rest of the group though not as big of a gap as that between a PC and an NPC.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
I played in a rotating GM situation where we all had PCs in the group for when we were not GMing. I will share the rules we used so that you might borrow some or all of them in your game.
- The GMPC takes NO actions out of combat unless the other PCs request it.
- The GMPC has NO say in group decisions unless specifically requested by the other PCs.
- The GMPC has last pick in all treasure divisions.
- The GMPC is never the focus of role play unless included by the other PCs.
Yes this turns your character into some kind of meek follower while you are GMing and requires a bit of suspension of disbelief to pull off. BUT it keeps you from constantly having to find excuses to leave the group while allowing you to share XP and treasure along the way. And prevents the sort of intentional AND unintentional abuses that can come from GMing for your own character.
I used DMNPCs when I was young because our gaming group was often 2 or 3 people. I wouldn't do it again for a serious game, especially one like Kingmaker. Are you short on players? If at all possible I would stick with a singular GM for Kingmaker. If that can't be done, I would have each GM leave their PC in town, as a proper NPC. This character could still assist the party with advice, knowledge checks, crafting, or periodic spell-casting.
A buddy of mine told me a story about a group he was in that had two alternating DMs. They took turns playing one character with a split personality. One played him as a barbarian, the other played him as a druid. I thought that sounded fun.
|
GMPC Rule #0: Make it your favorite PC. Give it extra powers and unlimited wealth. No matter the situation, they never get hurt and can always healz your other party members. They also have to have most of the plot.
---
But seriously, play what the party needs balance with. Three melees? Make an archer, even if its a medium BAB archer. Two PAL's and a Druid? Wizard for 1000 Alex. Make whatever you're playing a fun character, and you'll have a great time.